9. 200 Year Old Artifacts Found Under the South Ferry Subway Station in The Battery

In 2005, while building a new South Whitehall Street station complex, builders working on the new station found remains of a 200-year-old stone wall. After careful analysis, it was found to be the oldest man-made structure still in place in Manhattan. 250,000 individual artifacts and four walls were found in the excavation. A portion of one wall was placed on temporary display inside Castle Clinton. Another portion of the historic wall was embedded permanently into the entrance of the newly constructed station.

Robert Tierney, Chairman of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission said “This wall most likely is a portion of the gun batteries that once protected the city in the late 17th and 18th centuries, and gave rise to the modern park name.” The historic wall is on permanent display at the new station complex.